Chapter 277
Chapter 277
Chapter 277 A Good Move Although no one applauded, Karen had to show her support for Cecelia. She said, “Alright, later in the auction, Miss Cecelia’s painting will also be one of the items. I’m so looking forward to it.”
Then, the reception of Charity Day continued. Cecelia’s position at KLCS was confirmed. She was directly appointed as one of the permanent directors, equal to Maggie, with the same rights.
Maggie, holding a glass of wine, walked through the crowd and approached Cecelia. She said, “Congratulations, Miss Linsey. You made a good move today! You have successfully become one of the directors at KLCS.”
Cecelia raised her glass, with a faint smile, and said, “Ms. Taylor, I may not be as skilled as you in sensing the right timing and winning people’s hearts. When it comes to strategy, Ms. Taylor, you are much better than me.’
Both of them smiled faintly yet politely, speaking in a volume that only they could hear.
Petunia approached them, looking Cecelia up and down, and said, “Miss Cecelia, what other identities do you have that we don’t know?”
When Petunia found out that Cecelia was the designer Nyx, she was already shocked. And now, she learned that Cecelia was also Mr. Guston. Petunia felt like she had been hit hard.
Cecelia Linsey was indeed not an ordinary woman!
She concealed her true identity or identity so well!
“Miss Taylor, why are you so interested in other people’s privacy? We are all designers. You should know that painting and designing are interconnected. If I can design, then, of course, I can paint.
There’s nothing strange about it. You just didn’t choose painting as a specialization!” Cecelia said.
Indeed, Petunia’s painting skills were also good.
But as a competition between two designers, designing and drawing did not seem to have anything special in the contest.
However, when it came to other skills, Petunia excelled in shooting. Her mother had trained her since she was young. Now, her shooting skills were renowned at the shooting range.
In order to defeat Cecelia. Petunia directly challenged her, saying,
“You’re right. Designing and painting are things we naturally know how to do. So, there’s no sense to competing in our professional field. How about we compete in something else!”
“Miss Taylor, what do you mean?” Cecelia asked and raised an eyebrow coldly.
“Miss Linsey, tomorrow at 9 am. At the largest shooting range in Center City. I want to challenge you!”
“Challenge me? Are you sure you can win?”
Petunia perceived Cecelia’s retort as nothing but contempt and sarcasm.
“Humph. We haven’t competed yet. How do you know I can’t win?” Petunia raised her chin and walked closer to Cecelia, saying, “If you’re afraid of losing to me, if you dare not compete with me, you can surrender now!”
Cecelia remained silent, and Petunia became even more certain that she was scared.
“It’s settled then. If you don’t show up tomorrow, it means you’ve admitted defeat!” Watching Maggie and Petunia walk away from her, Cecelial remained calm. Since Petunia had to provoke her, she shouldn’t blame her for not showing her any mercy. At the charity auction, which was the final part of the reception, Karen and several board members selflessly donated their jewelry or valuable collections as auction items. Cecelia’s new artwork Life was also included among them. There were a total of six precious auction items. The first five items were all jewelry or collectibles from private collections. During the live auction, the wealthy ladies eagerly bid. The first five were sold quickly. When it came to Cecelia’s painting Life, after the auctioneer announced a starting price of $100,000, the venue fell into silence once again. The women in the audience seemed uninterested in her artwork. Or perhaps, they had no interest in Cecelia’s paintings.
Petunia felt secretly pleased. She believed Cecelia’s biggest mistake was exposing her identity as Mr. Guston. This not only failed to enhance her own value but also diminished Mr. Guston’s reputation.
Look, not a single person bid! To her, Cecelia’s painting wasn’t even worth $20! However, just then, Jonathan Jill raised his hand and bid, “$200,000!” Everyone looked at Jonathan in astonishment. Petunia also turned. around in surprise. Jonathan offered $200,000 for Cecelia’s painting? What was he doing? How many favors did Cecelia give Jonathan to make him willingly act as a straw bidder? Cecelia didn’t expect Jonathan to bid on her painting and felt grateful that Jonathan didn’t see her with biased eyes like others did. Jonathan was doing a favor. He was willing to bid because he appreciated Cecelia’s talent and the value of her artwork. In other words, he admired Cecelia as a unique woman! Just when everyone thought that $200,000 would be the final auction price for this piece, a male voice came from the entrance. “$400,000!”
Someone doubled the bid price! Everyone turned around to look. A tall man walked from the end of the red carpet, followed by a few assistants. The women at the scene were stunned when they saw a handsome man suddenly appear. They whispered to each other, excitedly asking who he was. Petunia also stared curiously at the man. Maggie felt a slight tremor in her heart as she watched him approach. A complex expression that no one could decipher appeared in her eyes, but she concealed it well. While others at the scene may not recognize this man, Cecelia immediately recognized him as her senior, Jersey Bowman. Did Jersey come here specifically to support her? Jersey walked gracefully towards them. After he glanced at Cecelia with deep eyes, he proactively greeted Karen, “My apology, Ms. Long. Please forgive me, an uninvited guest.”
“Sir, may I ask who you are?” Jersey didn’t respond, but his assistant replied to him, “This is Mr. Bowman, the president of the Bowman Group, which recently got into the Cathail Republic.” Karen immediately realized and welcomed him, “So you are Mr. Bowman, the president of Bowman Group! The person who has been reported in the financial news these days to enter the Cathail Republic market? Welcome, Mr. Bowman! Welcome!”
Hearing this, the women at the scene couldn’t help but get excited. Another eligible bachelor in the scene! 4/5 Jersey nodded with a faint smile and replied, “I am interested in Mr. Guston’s artwork too. May I participate in the bidding?” “Of course!” Karen signaled the auctioneer to continue. After Jersey bid $400,000, Jonathan added to #500,000. The two kept increasing the bidding price,
raising it to $2 million! “$2 million? Did they plan this acting?” Petunia sneered at this. “Mr. Bowman, I hope this painting can be displayed in my Gleam Gallery.’ “Mr. Jill, I hope this painting can be displayed in my new office.” Jersey raised the bid again, “$6 million!” The people around felt that these two men seemed to be competing with each other. They thought to themselves, ‘Are they comparing who has more money?” The women in the audience were all delighted, staring at the two outstanding gentlemen. Who wouldn’t be attracted to handsome and wealthy men? Many rich ladies secretly told their daughters to seize the opportunity to get to know these two eligible men and shouldn’t give Cecelia a chance to take advantage of them. “$10 million!” When Jersey offered $10 million, the venue quieted down. Jonathan didn’t want to offend the Bowman Group, perhaps now was the time for him to show his goodness. After Jersey’s bid of $10 million, Jonathan didn’t add any more money. The auctioneer asked “Is there anyone willing to offer a higher price? $10 million once. $10 million twice…” This belongs © NôvelDra/ma.Org.
When the auctioneer was about to bring down the hammer after three calls, a calm and indifferent voice suddenly came, “$20 million!”
$20 million?
Everyone in the venue turned their heads in shock towards the direction where the voice came from.